This website is managed by Kotobuki Chiku Center.

< About Us: Kotobuki Chiku Center >

Kotobuki Chiku Center (hereinafter, referred as “the Center”) is located at the corner of Kotobuki-cho in Yokohama.  Kotobuki-cho is a town for day laborers, and also used to be one of the three laborer recruited areas (“Yoseba” in Japanese.  In Japan, there are two other Yosebas; Kamagasaki and Sanya), which was provided with powerful labor force for building up the past high growth of Japan.  Day laborers who dedicated themselves to Japan in the past are now aging, and it is next to impossible to find jobs.  As a result, the ratio of welfare recipients are increased, and Kotobuki has turned into a welfare town.  On the other hand, the at-risk-homeless people in their twenties and thirties has increased, after so-called Lehman Shock.

< What is the Center aiming at? >

In Japan, 2.15 million people is said to be welfare-recipient (as of the 2012 fiscal year).  In Kotobuki area, about 5,800 of 6,400 residents are surviving under welfare benefit.  The Center is concerned with over all circumstances of people’s life such as health and culture who lives at the flophouse in Kotobuki because they tend to be isolated, and also helps a rough sleepers to get welfare benefits.  Moreover, the Center deals with rough sleeper and poverty, mental disorder and health issues of the younger generation.  In addition, the Center is aiming at supporting people’s living and keeping on burning their life in Kotobuki, where is caught in the deluge of the imbalance of the Japanese society now.

< The people supporting the Center’s activities >

The main workers of the Center are volunteers.  There are many volunteers, not only from churches but also from neighbors, junior/senior high school students and seminar students from universities.  Above all, residents themselves in Kotobuki are working as volunteers under the various programs of the Center.  Thirty years ago (in 1983), the Center started out as a task force in Kanagawa District of the United Church of Christ in Japan.

The Center’s programs and activities are funded solely by donation from churches all over Japan and others.

Activities in Kotobuki Chiku Center

Now, we as members of the Center would like to introduce some of our key activities.

If you are interested in or have any questions about us whatsoever, please get in touch with us through email or tel/fax (please refer to “Contact Us” page).

Let’s join in and work together!

< Soup Kitchen >

〜 Let’s cook & eat together 〜 Anybody is welcomed!

Every Friday at Kotobuki Jido Koen (Kotobuki Kid’s Park) (rain-or-shine activity)

Morning session: 8:00 - 10:00, preparation for cooking (washing, cutting, peeling, etc)

Afternoon session: From 13:00, delivery of special tasted porridge of rice to the people in line (approximately 600 bowls are delivered each time).  14:00-15:00, clean ups (washing dishes, throwing away garbages, etc)

During this day, One Stop Corner (a consultation service) is open for those with financial, legal, or medical problems - we have specialists in each field stand by.

< Night Patrol >

Night patrol is a once a week regular visit to the rough sleepers, to confirm their physical problems or any daily necessity items to survive and consider about the matter of their exodus from such severe living status.

Night patrol is organized by each group in each area.  Please contact us if you are interested in participating in the night patrol.

Patrolling areas:

- Kotobuki, Kannai, and its outskirts

1. -Sakuragi-Cho, Yokohama Station and its outskirts
   

2. -Yokohama-wide suburbs including Minami Ward
   

3. -Totsuka Ward
   

4. -Kawasaki City
   

5. -Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture
   

6. -Fujisawa City
   

7. -Odawara City
   

8. -Hongoudai
   

9. -Yokosuka City
   

10. -Chigasaki City
    

11. -Atsugi City
    

12. -Hiratsuka City
    

< Kotobuki Summer Festival >

Kotobuki Natsu Matsuri is scheduled every mid August.  We have five days of fun time including free concert, Karaoke contest, etc.  We also prepare catering foods and deliver to the visiters.

< Winter Struggle >

Winter is the severest season for the needy, especially for rough sleepers.  The worst case scenario is freezing to death, which is one of the deepest problems.  We try to avoid it by any means possible, as all public officials entangled with welfare issues are closed during year-end and year-begin and do not function.  During this period, consecutive soup kitchen and night patrols are planned by associated organization with the Center.  Buckwheat noodle is served on New Year’s Eve, and as the new year starts there is mochitsuki event (pounding rice into cake) which is served to all participants afterwards.

Information and Events on Bulletin (Link)

We post the Center‘s latest information and upcoming events on Bulletin Board.  There will be English summary at the end of each post.

Donation

Our work is funded solely by donation, and your support makes a huge contribution to the Center’s activity.  We ask for your understanding of our goals and support through financial aid.

How to donate:  Postal transfer to the below account:

Transfer P.O. saving account: 00260-6-25045

BIC(SWIFT Code): JPPSJPJ1

Name of the account holder: Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan Kanagawa Kyoku Kotobuki Chiku Katsudo Iinkai

Contact Us (Link)

Five-minute walk from north exit of Ishikawa-Cho Station (JR Keihin Tohoku Line)

Address:  3-10-13 Kotobuki-Cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0026

Tel/Fax: 045-664-7141

Email: chikucen@nifty.com